Archaeological site of Gyroula

The valley around the hill south of the village Sangri was since the
antiquity full of rural settlements, whose inhabitants developed around the 8th
century B.C. the cult of chthonic deities (Demeter and Persephone), in order to
ensure the fertility of the land. In 530
B.C., in the period of Lygdamis tyranny a glorious marble temple was
built here. The Ionic two-aisled temple is the precursor of the classical Attic
architecture, which a century later offered humanity the Parthenon. Around it there
used to be a complex of oil and wine production facilities and pottery
workshops that operated until the 8th century A.D.

In the very first years of Christianity, the archaic
temple became Christian. In the 6th century, during the reign of Justinian, the
place of the archaic temple was taken by a three-aisled basilica, in which the
temple’s architectural parts were perfectly integrated. The sanctuary and the baptistery
were built in the eastern side.

In the archaeological site there has been a
wonderful landscaping. A paved path leads to the ancient temple and the small
archaeological museum that hosts findings from the ancient temple of Demeter,
architectural fragments of sculptures, marble votives etc. In a wing of the
temple there is a representation of the three-aisled old Christian basilica.